Question

Read the following poem and write an appreciation of it with the help of the given points in a paragraph format:   (5)

Where the Mind is Without Fear... Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit Where the mind is led forward by Thee Into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Points:

• Title   (1/2)
• The poet   (1/2)
• Rhyme scheme   (1)
• Figures of speech   (1)
• Central Idea/Theme   (2)

Answer 1

• Title: "Where the Mind is Without Fear"
• The poet: This poem is written by the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore
• Rhyme scheme: The poem is written in free verse, so it does not follow a specific rhyme scheme.
• Figures of speech: The poet has used various figures of speech like Metaphor (e.g., "the clear stream of reason," "the dreary desert sand of dead habit") and Personification (e.g., "tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection").
• Central Idea/Theme: The central idea of the poem is the poet’s vision of an ideal nation where people live without fear, knowledge is freely accessible, and there are no divisions based on caste, creed, or religion. He dreams of a country where truth prevails, reason is valued, and progress is achieved through continuous effort. The poem is a prayer to God to guide the country toward such a state of true freedom.